Update: iBooks has been removed from the UK store. Perhaps they are rewording the text that says it’s US only. We suspect it will back today or tomorrow.
In preparation for the launch of the Apple iPad, Apple [AAPL] has made the iBooks app available for download in the iTunes store in the UK. The application was uploaded today to the store and can be downloaded now. The only requirements are that you obviously need an iPad to run it on, but also that you are running the latest version of iTunes. If you are on an older version of iTunes, you cannot download it unless you download it direct on the iPad.
For those unfamiliar with iBooks, the application allows users to download and read books on the Apple iPad. The software has a UI that allows you to flip through pages with a swipe or tap on the screen and allows you to bookmark favourite pages.
When loading the application up you are presented with a bookshelf where you can select the book you want to read. The eBook store can found when tapping a button where the bookshelf rotates around to the back to reveal books you can buy.
iBooks Features
* Enjoy a complimentary copy of the beautifully illustrated classic, Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.
* Download many of your favorite books from the included iBookstore.
* Read a free sample of any book on the iBookstore before making it part of your collection.
* Reorder your books on your bookshelf or browse them in a list sorted by title, author, or category.
* Easily adjust your screen brightness to find the perfect lighting for any environment.
* Change the font size and pick from five included type faces to make your books more comfortable to read.
* Find a word, character, or phrase anywhere in your book with the built-in search feature.
* Quickly find a specific page using the page navigator at the bottom of every page.
* Highlight your favorite passages with the built-in bookmarking feature.
* Add books in the industry-standard ePub electronic book format to iTunes and sync them to iPad.
* iBooks supports amazing accessibility features in iPad, such as speaking the words on a given page.
Available now on iTunes. Note: The link is US iTunes but if UK iTunes is your default on iTunes, you will be taken to the correct download for the UK.
Tried it but no luck sadly. Maybe they have removed it?
Looks like they have Stephen. I tested now and it says it’s not available. I think they are just rewording the description in iTunes as it mentioned US only although when viewed in UK iTunes it had a launch date of 25 May (today).
Maybe they are also waiting for more books to populate it as some report that only copyright free works from years ago were available for download.